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Schwarze Felsen
Physical Qualities Schwarze Felsen is an interesting city, circled with jagged black-rock walls. Three separate gates grant access in the front. Magic is apparently very abundant here, since an island floats just above the city, upon which rests an obsidian castle. Large gates house portals which apparently grant travel to other parts of the city. The houses are mostly made of the same black stone. The city is kept neat and clean, with a sense of mystery behind the purpose of the architecture. All buildings and structures are apparently well-thought out and intelligently designed, but all of them have been made intentionally asymmetrical. Floating stones and platforms decorate the city, usually topped with gardens and other plants. The city is vibrant and green set against the black of the buildings, with a large quantity of plants. Vines wrap around the sharp walls. Large and ancient trees grow in interesting places. Food grows in numerous places, and random creatures and animals scatter the area. All manner of foxes, flying lizards, giant badgers, and pleasant tigers walk through the city casually, as if they belong there. Some keep watch on travelers, some go about duties carrying items or tending to flowers, cracks in buildings, or piles of dust. Culture Schwarze Felsen is a rich culture, with no apparent working class. Magic seems to provide nearly everything necessary, and a lot of tasks are apparently done by familiars and other summoned or bonded creatures. Some of the inhabitants spend their time practicing magic in open courtyards, dancing, or buying and selling items in the impressive marketplace. As most mundane tasks are taken care of, many of the people are left with nothing but free time. As a result, some citizens spend their time playing and having fun. The people tend to be light-hearted and playful. Often they play pranks and have harmless fun, although people not used to their culture can misinterpret it as cruel or rude behavior. Those who don't spend their time playing try to fill their free time with more interesting tasks. Commerce is energetic, and the city has the most magic-centric market in the world. There are also many researchers and inventors, and the city has the fastest-growing technological facilities around. Some individuals teach or study in large magic schools in order to learn and advance magic in new and exciting ways. Other inhabitants find the city boring and predictable, and so have a love for travel. Since nothing ties them to Schwarze Felsen, they tend to uproot and experience the world to find out what else there is to see and do. The city is also a hub for travelers from other places. The classes that originate in Schwarze Felsen are generally restricted to alchemist, bard, cleric, druid, inquisitor, magus, ranger, oracle, sorcerer, summoner, witch, and wizard. It's not common for residents to wear heavy armor, so even those classes who can use it generally limit themselves to light or no armor, although exceptions apply. It's also very uncommon for anyone born in Schwarze Felsen to not have magic of some kind. The races that originate in Schwarze Felsen are fey-like, typically being elves, gathlains, gazettes, gnomes, half-elves, kitsune, and tieflings. Travelers who may have settled here, however, may be of different races. The official languages of Schwarze Felsen are Common, Elven, and Sylvan. Individuals who don't speak these languages may have difficulties communicating. Characters born here gain one of these as a starting language. If they already have all, they may gain any other appropriate language. Leadership Although Schwarze Felsen has a queen, she does nothing to rule the people. The queen position is merely traditional and holds no real power. Generally the role is given to the most wealthy inhabitant. Residents find it amusing that other cultures place so much emphasis on power and having one person decide the actions of others. Religion Although religion is widely varied, the majority of the inhabitants pay respect to Magdalena. There are no formal churches, and most who worship a deity do so in their own homes or in small groups in quiet areas of the city. Although most residents are playful jokesters, it's considered rude to interrupt anyone who is praying. Military Similar to the leadership of Schwarze Felsen, there is no formal military. Most citizens know enough magic to support and protect themselves, and the city itself is enchanted against many forms of harm. Some individuals consider themselves protectors, a role which is usually referred to as "rüstung." They will watch gates and inspect newcomers and respond to any percieved threats. However, this is not a formal position and is not appointed. There is much respect for those who are considered rüstung; they embody the fighting spirit and perseverance of their ancestors who helped Schwarze Felsen survive the world's worst wars. History Compared to most cities, Schwarze Felsen has a fairly long history. The city itself was founded in the year 222. The rush of fey flowing into the world tried to carve out a space to call their own. Many fey settled in the area and began to build more impressive structures on it. The city became the hub of extradimensional travel and was built around the "landing zone" for fey coming from their dimension. At first, the city is exclusively populated by fey and fey offspring. Eventually, after many smaller scuffles, the War of Segregation in 367 began. Schwarze Felsen took the brunt of the attacks and was laid siege to. Fey from other areas began to pour into Schwarze Felsen and fight the attacking forces. Over the course of three years, the city experiences alternating periods of siege and incoming waves of fey and fey offspring. The city continued to grow and prosper due to the incoming forces, as well as some from the fey dimension. After the war ends, the city is rebuilt and continued to grow larger and more fortified in case the city is ever sieged again. The city is barely touched throughout the Dragon War, but is heavily sieged during the Dead War. Many inhabitants found themselves thankful that the city was so heavily fortified due to previous conflicts. Though other cities in the world are overrun by undead, Schwarze Felsen's unique structures and inhabitants prevented the walls from ever being breached. The large concentration of mages and wizards in the city, in combination with the incredibly strong defenses, allowed the city to hold out until the end of the war. While the city did sustain casualties during the war, it remained mostly in tact. Having suffered the fewest casualties in the Dead War, the city had a short rebuilding period of only a few years. Seeing that Monde has changed due to the last war, the city eventually opens its doors to non-fey types and travelers in the year 1848. Even with open doors, Schwarze Felsen remains primarily a fey-controlled city. In the coming decades, Schwarze Felsen eventually became a beacon of equality and diversity. As the city thrived, it pioneered the industrial revolution and drove some of the most important research of the time. In modern times, it's the most advanced city in the world in both magic and technology. Trivia * All bags of holding and similar devices that transport items to other dimensions are the result of fey inventors and researchers. All such items link back to Schwarze Felsen. * Many terms are based on the German language. * Characters born here can take the Mystical trait.